Method of effecting graining upon elongated strips of material



. July 14, 1936. L. v. cAsTo 2,047,671

METHOD OF EFFECTING GRA INING UPON ELONGATED STRIPS OF MATERIAL Fi led Nov. 1, 1953 Patented July 14, 1936 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF EFFECTING GRAINING UPON ELONGATED STRIPS F MATERIAL Lloyd v. Caste, Detroit, Mich, assignor to ommi Varnish Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of ltfichigan Application November 1, 1933, Serial No, 696,215

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel method of continuous non-repeat printing, and is especially applicable for decorating metallic strips with imi- .tation wood grains or other decorations to form mouldings, beading, framing and other articles which comprise comparatively long strips of material, the surfaces of which are long in comparison to their width.

In the art of decorating or graining materials it is desirable in many instances to so decorate the article that the design being applied is'not repeated. This has usually been accomplished by using a pattern of greater length than the article to be decorated. However, when long strips of material have been grained, the length of the pattern, to avoid duplication thereof, has reached heretofore unpractical lengths. For instance, if a twenty-foot length were desired, a pattern slightly larger has been required, when 0 the decorating was effected by the rotary offset printing method, which utilized mechanism had a cylindrical form or pattern roll, the diameter of such pattern roll to print a twenty-foot length, without duplication of the pattern, becomes about seven feet. It is therefore readily seen that rolls of this size have involved the use of very large machines accompanied with all of the disadvantages thereof. Also, a considerable amount of power is required to rotate such rolls, and as the diameter of the roll is increased, any small defect in the mechanism, which is unimportant when small rolls are used, is multiplied, and becomes a serious disadvantage in that such defects seriously retract from the clearness and sharpness of the design and cause a blurring thereof, which, for all practical purposes, prevents the use of such large diameter rolls. At the best, such an arrangement and method of decorating long strips is expensive and requires expensive and 40 bulky mechanism.

The general object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a method for effecting graining upon strips of material, which method may be readily accomplished in an economical manner and with 45 comparatively inexpensive mechanism, and which may occupy a comparatively small amount 0 manufacturing floor space.

Other objects of this invention will become more apparent from the following description,

50 which refers to a preferred embodiment of the invention, as set forth in the accompanying drawing. The essential characteristics of the invention will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration ci a mechanism whentransferring the (Cl. ran-rm) ing the manner in which my method is carried.

out; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an elongated reproduction of grain material; Fig. 4 illustrates one method of applying the grain to the pattern roll; Fig.5 is a second form of grained sheet; Fig. 6 illustrates the method of applying the form shown in Fig. 5 to the pattern roll.

In general, my improved method for effecting grainin'g upon elongated strips of material, com-'- prises the obtaining of a transfer of a wood grain pattern upon an offset roll, with grain lines in the transfer extending at an angle to a plane normal to the axis of the roll. In so arranging the roll and the elongated strip of material to be grained, the relative relation between .the strip and the roll is such that the strip will extend substantially at the same angle relative to a plane normal to the axis of the roll. If the angle of extension of the grain line upon the offset roll and revolving the roll while in contact with the work and while maintaining such angular relationship between the strip and the roll, and thereby eifect a non-repeating, continuous graining pattern about the elongated strips during several revolutions of the offset roll.

Referring now to the drawing, and especially to Fig. 1, wherein I show a mechanism for efl'ecting the transfer of a design in color from a pattern roll H) to an offset roll II. This mechanism comprises a frame l2 arranged to rotatably support a pattern roll l0. Such roll is provided with a grained metallic covering M, the pattern of which may be effected in any suitable manner but preferably by the well-known photogravure process, wherein a screen is used when a carbon resist is made preparatory to the actual etching of the roll, thus forming a screen intaglio printing roll. The pattern roll is rotated through the medium of a motor [5 and suitable driving connections l6. Ink is supplied to the pattern roll by the usual inking roll H, which contacts with the pattern H and has its lower portion submerged in a trough l8 adapted to contain the fluid color. The surplus color is scraped fromthe surface of the pattern H by a suitable doctor handle 22, move the roll ll into contact with the pattern It] and thereby cause the ink retained by the'pattern roll to be transferred to the offset roll. A suitable indicator mark, such as the arrow 23, is placed on the offset roll so as to enable the operator to readily retain the ofiset roll in contact with the pattern roll until one complete revolution of the roll has been made.

It will be noted, from Fig. 2, that I illustrate the oifset roll H, having the pattern 30 in color thereon, of a comparatively small diameter, and the diameter is such thatits circumference is much less than the length of the strip which it is desired to grain. I have, for the purposes of illustration, indicated an offset roll arranged to grain a strip of material, the length of which is approximately four times the circumference of the roll, and the width of which is slightly less than one-fifth of the width of the roll. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the general lines of the grain 30 are arranged in a spiral direction on the offset roll surface and the strip is placed upon a suitable table or bed T, and at an angle to the line of contact between the roll and the table, in a plane normal to a radius of the roll passing through such line of contact. It will be noted also that the angle of the strip relative to. such line of contact is substantially the same as the angle of the grain line to such line. Therefore, as the offset roll is rolled in a straight path along the table, being guided thereon by suitable flanges 35 on the roll which coact with a guideway 36 on the table, the pattern will be transferred from the offset roll to the strip in such manner that the grain lines will run substantially parallel with the strip. Even though the roll may be rotated through several complete revolutions, different portions of the roll surface will at all times come in contact with the strip, whereby the design is reproduced upon the strip in such a way that the rain lines run parallel with the strip and the pattern thereof is not reproduced throughout the entire length of the strip.

It is evident that a pattern roll for reproducing the grains as above mentioned, may be made in several different ways. For instance, the metallic plate may comprise a long narrow strip upon which the grain is reproduced by the photogravure process and thereafter the strip wound around the drum in a spirally arranged manner, as indicated in Fig. 4. However, the pattern roll may be formed by procuring a long strip 38 of carbon resist having the grain reproduced thereon by a photographic process, and said strip wound spirally around theroll ill as indicated in Fig. 4, and the roll thereafter etched so that the pattern or grain line will be reproduced in the roll at an angle normal to the axis thereof.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I indicate and modify the method of forming the roll. In this instance, I preferably start with a print 31 of the grain to be copied, somewhat larger than enough to cover the desired area of the roll to be etched and on which two ends of the grain pattern clearly correspond. This area may be half the circumference of the roll, the entire circumference, or, as a matter of fact, any part thereof. This print is then wrapped around a cylindrical form, the diameter of the roll to be grained, as indicated in Fig. 6, where it will be noted that the grain lines, which were relatively straight, that is, running lengthwise of the pattern on the print 5, now run spirally around the roll, the print being so positioned that the one end overlies the other end and is shifted lengthwise of the axis of the roll a distance at least the width of the strip to be grained. The print is then out along the more distinct grain lines wherever possible, and in the case of wood having very distinct grain patterns, such as the flake of quartered oak, the cut follows along 5 the flake line. The print is out along such lines and wherever possible follows the grain line and wherever it is no longer possible because of the flake stop, to out along such line, the print is out along diagonal or circumferential lines following 10 the dense grain line as much as possible and cut parallel thereto.

Having thus obtained a match between the opposite ends of the print, the edges of the print are then out along the dotted lines 40, shown in Fig. 6, so that it will form a true cylinder. A sheet of the usual carbon resist, previously exposed from the same plate or film which was used to reproduce the print 31, is then outlined and/or cut, as above described, and is secured in the usual 20 way to the roll surface to be etched, with the ends of one roll at one side matching those of the other, as indicated in Fig. 6. The roll is thereafter etched with a suitable mordant. As a result,

a roll is formed having a grain running spirally 25 and continuous around the roll, and entirely without the presence of any pattern lap lines, such as are heretofore described or followed, and which are indicated by the lines 45 in Fig. 2.

In following out the last-named method, some 30 hand tooling may have to be done where the blank or unetched spaces appear at the pattern lap, but if this step of forming the roll is carefully followed, this hand tooling is practically a 35 negligible item.

It is sometimes found difficult and expensive to reproduce a long strip of carbon resist by the usual photographic process for spirally winding the roll, and as diagrammatically indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. I contemplate, however, using several strips of patterns placed together end to end and matched in a manner similar to that described in Figs. 5 and 6, and then wrapping said strips around the cylinder to be etched, and etching the same in the usual manner.

When a print such as the print 31 is used, I preferably wrap the print around the cylinder, so that its ends overlap and so that one end is moved bodily parallel to the axis of the roll relative to the other end, I may accomplish a similar result by securing a piece of material upon which the grain lines run diagonally, that is, along at an angle to the edge of the print, which angle is substantially the same as the angle at which it will be required to position the strip to accomplish the grain without interruptions of patterns and then matching the print as heretofore mentioned, such method of matching the strip being shown, described and claimed in a co-pending application of Guido Von Webern, filed April 19th, 1930, and assigned Serial Number 445,576, and assigned to my assignee.

' From the foregoing description, it will be readily apparent that I have provided a method of effecting graining upon elongated strips of material in such a manner that I may readily use an offset printing roll of a comparatively small diameter to accomplish the graining in a comparatively long strip of material. and it is apparent also that the method is utilizable for the printing of patterns other than wood graining where it is desired to effect long strip non-repeat printing through theuse of small diametered rolls.

I claim:

1. The method of eirecting wood graining upon elongated strips of rigid construction material, comprising obtaining a transfer of a wood grain pattern upon an offset roll with the grain lines of the transfer extending at an angle to a plane normal to the axis of the transfer roll, arranging the roll and the elongated strip of rigid material to be grained in such relative relation that the elongated strip of material will extend in a substantially horizontal plane substantially at the same angle relative to a plane normal to the axis of the roll as the angle of extension of the grain lines upon the ofl'set roll, and revolving the roll while in contact with the workpiece while maintaining said angular relationship, in said horizontal plane whereby a non-repeating, continuous grain pattern is efiected upon the elongated strip during several revolutions of the offset roll.

2. The method of eiIecting wood graining upon elongated strips of rigid construction material, comprising forming a continuous grain pattern about a cylinder surface, with the grainlines of the pattern extending at an angle upon the cylinder surface relative to a plane normal to the axis of the cylinder, obtaining therefrom a spiral grain transfer upon the surface of an offset roll, and eifecting a relative spiral movement between the elongated strip of rigid material to be grained while retaining the surface of said material in a plane tangential to said oiiset roll and the oifset roll, whereby a continuous grain pattern may be applied to the elongated strip during several revolutions of the offset roll relative to the strip.

3. The method of effecting a wood grain on elongated strips of material with a roll of greater width than the width of the strip and a circumference less than the length of the strip comprising photographically reproducing a natural wood slab wider than the roll and longer than the circumference of the roll, bringing the ends of the photographic reproduction together in overlapping relation, shifting the ends of the reproduction sidewise relative to each other while maintaining the grain lines of the adjacent ends parallel to each other, outlining the grain lines of the, overlapping portions of the reproduction to substantially coincide at said outline, utilizing the copy to produce an etched roll, arranging the roll 20 and the elongated strip of material to be grained in such relation that the elongated strip of ma terial will extend substantially at the same angle relative to a plane normal to the axis of the roll as the angle of extension of the grain lines upon 95 the roll and effecting relative movement between the work and the roll.

.. LLOYD V. CAB'IO. 

